Histoires d'amour
by S.E. Mellark
Summary: An act of love can be hidden within the most mundane of gestures. These are the stories of love. A series of one-shots surrounding certain YGO pairings.
1. Destroy

_Author's Note: _These prompts won't revolve around any one pairing—some may not even have a pairing at all—but I'm just trying to strengthen my skills when it comes to writing YGO stories. I say that, but I'm quite certain I'll be writing a lot about Yugi and Yami, that's why they're the main characters even if this first prompt isn't about them, 'cause I'll ship it until the world stops turning (Fan-girl coming through; I apologize in advance. We're not exactly the tamest of sorts.) I'll try to update this at least once a week. Not sure how long it'll last, but I think it'll go a good bit. I'm still learning how to do this fandom justice with the writing stuff, so please bear with me :)

This first one is about Ryou and Bakura. Maybe pre-tendershipping if you squint hard enough.

_Disclaimer: _I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I most likely never will.

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**001 – Destroy**

* * *

From the inside out, Ryou could feel himself being altered, corrupted.

There was always that voice in his head, that rough, vicious snarl that filled his heart with so many vile, malicious feelings, deep-set feelings of hatred and rage that weren't his own. He had nothing against Yugi and the Pharaoh, had actually believed at one point that they could be friends, but the spirit wouldn't stand for that.

The spirit of the Millennium Ring terrified Ryou sometimes with the force of his hatred, the fierceness with which he communicated his thoughts to Ryou. No, that's not it. It wasn't communication exactly. The spirit forced Ryou to listen, practically wrestled with his mind and very essence to get him to submit.

Ryou hardly ever talked to the spirit, tried not to acknowledge his presence if he could help it, but he sometimes found himself intrigued by the spirit dwelling within his body. Ryou was kind-hearted, much too aware of others' pain, and even if the entity within his Ring was evil, he couldn't have always been that way. Something must have happened to him to make him like that, so bitter and hateful. He was aware that the Pharaoh was involved somehow—how could one man hate another so much, anyways?—but Ryou refused to judge the spirit within Yugi's own Millennium Item.

He'd met him before, that man that looked so much like Yugi, but he'd tried his hardest to keep a somewhat safe distance away. The spirit didn't like it, and with all the pain the entity had obviously suffered, Ryou was reluctant to be the cause of more, even if the spirit within the Millennium Ring took over his body on a regular basis.

His influence was a heavy one. Ryou became angry at the most bizarre times, had odd and frightening thoughts about he would do to Yugi if ever alone with the amethyst-eyed teen. But Ryou knew with every fiber of his being that these thoughts were not his own, and it tore him apart inside when Yugi looked at him with so much trust when the white-haired boy carried within him a being that only wished to do Yugi harm. Ryou could tell the Pharaoh was weary of him. He also realized it was sometimes hard for the others to distinguish him from his "Other Self," as Yugi called his spirit.

But didn't they know that Ryou wasn't like that, that he would never, _ever _wish harm upon them? He wasn't the one that had trapped them inside their favorite monster cards—he himself had been stuck inside Change of Heart. He'd never been an angry person, had let people walk all over him growing up, so why did no one find it suspicious that he was acting strange? It was the Pharaoh who'd had to point it out the first time. Ryou found himself feeling angry, furious even, that Yugi and the others couldn't decipher him from an evil spirit gallivanting around in his body, but as soon as the emotion had registered, his heart stopped.

The spirit laughed in his head.

"_Fight it all you want, Landlord, but you and I aren't as different as you would like to believe."_

It tore Ryou apart.


	2. Bittersweet

_Author's Note: _This prompt's subject matter was inspired by my friends. I love them, really I do, but they're so stupid when it comes to their boyfriends, it's almost unbearable. They always try to make them eat things to see what they'll taste like when they kiss. Is that weird? Normal? Tell me what you think so I don't feel like a total stiff ;)

Puzzleshipping, tendershipping, and bronzeshipping ahead!

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**002 - Bittersweet**

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"Where did the guys say they were going again?"

"Down the street to the drug store. Bakura and Marik wanted cigarettes or something."

"Cigarettes? You don't think Yami would . . . "

"You mean Yami Atemu? The straight A student, captain of the swim team, perfectly perfect in every possible way and gorgeous to boot Yami Ate—"

Ryou rolled his eyes, slapping a hand over Malik's mouth before the worried look on Yugi's face had the chance to melt into pure annoyance. "What he means is, no, your boyfriend isn't like ours and actually listens to reason when it comes to his health."

Malik scowled as Ryou pulled his hand away, though a satisfied grin appeared on his face when Ryou shook out his hand, probably to rid his hand of saliva that Yugi was certain Malik had put there. The three boys were currently sitting in Yugi's grandpa's game shop, huddled together behind the counter as they studied for an anatomy exam they had the next day. Ryou wasn't really in need of the extra help, practically acing the class with next to no trouble, but Yugi and Malik had been struggling for the better part of the year and were in dire need of his help.

But for the life of him, Yugi could not concentrate. "How do you stand it?"

Malik cocked his head slightly. "How do I stand what? Ryou stifling my opinion?"

Yugi laughed as his white-haired friend placed his chin in his right hand, chocolate brown eyes staring hard at Malik until the Egyptian averted his gaze with a slight cough. Yugi understood completely, because while Ryou was more soft-spoken than most, the look he gave people when irritated made them feel as if he was staring straight into their soul. It was probably the only reason Bakura was remotely pleasant to be around.

"I meant the smoking." Yugi explained, reaching across the countertop to tap Ryou's hand, regaining his friend's attention. "Doesn't it, you know, taste bad?"

Ryou blinked a few times, either contemplating the question or thinking about the stupidity of it, but Malik snorted his laughter, shaking his head. "I thought we were learning about the basics of microscopic anatomy, not the taste when I kiss my boyfriend."

"I was only curious." Yugi said, shrugging his shoulders. Honestly, trying to get a serious answer out of Malik was like persuading Jounouchi to be nice to Kaiba for a change. "I have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to this stuff, remember? I'm bored."

"Well, seeing as you'll forget in about thirty seconds, I suppose I'll indulge you, Motou." Malik teased, pushing his textbook away and leaning forward on his elbows, violet eyes shimmering with amusement. "You know that feeling when you're swimming, doing the freestyle or whatever, and your lungs are burning and you just can't wait to get to the wall to take a nice, long breather?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's how it feels kissing Marik right after he smokes."

Yugi said nothing, waiting to see if Malik would elaborate further, but the blond said nothing more, only smirked and nodded once. Amethyst eyes slid over to Ryou, who had been watching the whole exchange silently, and when he noticed Yugi watching him, he nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much it. Sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by a city of smog."

Well . . . that was highly unexpected. "And you . . . _like_ that feeling?" Yugi asked slowly.

"Oh, it's the best!" Malik exclaimed, reaching over to push Ryou's shoulder, as if looking for an agreement. "Why do you think we've let it go on so long? You better believe that if we had an issue with it, Marik and Bakura would be shredding those suckers in the blink of the Millennium Eye."

Ignoring Malik's rather tasteless attempt at a joke, Ryou took the reins in an effort to wipe the confused look off of Yugi's face. "It's not necessarily healthy, but truthfully it does . . . taste good a few hours after Bakura smokes." A blush was steadily rising on Ryou's pale face. "It just adds something to his essence, I suppose. And it's not like he'll stop if I say something anyway so—"

"Yeah! It's kind of bitter, but mix it in with the taste of the person you love and it's amazing!" Malik added as Ryou trailed off, flipping through the pages in his textbook idly with one finger. "Hey, maybe you should get Yami to try it, since you're so curious."

"Get me to try what?"

The boys had heard the bell ring as the door to the shop was opened, but assumed it was a random customer and ignored it until the person approached the counter. Yugi still couldn't understand how Yami could brighten the atmosphere by simply entering the room. Perhaps it was the way Yami radiated a friendly aura that drew people in like a moth to a flame.

Though Malik's comment about Yami being gorgeous wasn't just him being his sarcastic self either.

"How much of my money did you spend this time?" Ryou asked with a slight sigh as he extended his hand for whatever change Bakura might give him.

Bakura snorted and dropped a quarter, a dime, and two nickels into the palm of Ryou's hand. The three boys behind the counter stared at the money for a moment, before Malik broke the silence. "What the heck did you guys do to his ten?"

Marik slung his arm around Yami's shoulders, stuffing his hand inside the pocket of his ripped, denim jeans and pulling out a packet of cigarettes. For some reason the sight of them made Yugi want to hurl. "We had to buy a few extra packs. We're trying to convince the Yamster here to give it a try. Can't be Mr. Golden Boy all the time, you know?"

"He needs to live a little, stop being such a stiff." Bakura sniffed, scowling down at the textbooks on the counter. "Why are you studying on a Saturday?"

"We're taking the exam tomorrow since we won't be at school on Monday because of the meet, Bakura." Yugi said. "Do you listen to anything Ryou tells you?"

"Only the interesting stuff."

"Marik, get that out of my face." Yami snapped, slapping away Marik's hand as he waved the cigarettes in his face. "You're starting to piss me off. But what were you saying, Yugi? Before we came in?"

Yugi met Yami's ruby gaze for a second before allowing his eyes to drift to Yami's mouth, contemplating. Maybe Ryou and Malik were on to something, though Yugi seriously doubted it. The amethyst eyed teen was still surprised that Ryou of all people was okay with such a thing, though Yugi knew there was more to the other teen than meets the eye. Sure, Yugi liked Yami's taste. He liked everything about him. But would secondhand cigarettes really heighten whatever flavor might be there? Yami tasted of chlorine, cinnamon gum, and something else that Yugi would only ever associate with his boyfriend. Did he really want to mess that up by telling Yami to smoke one measly cigarette just because he was curious?

_What if it messes his entire, what did Ryou call it . . . essence up?_

"Yugi?" Yami asked, eyes widening as a look of horror crossed Yugi's face. "What's wrong?"

Yugi blinked, shaking his head quickly. "Oh, it was nothing. And we weren't talking about anything important."

"Oh. Well, if you're sure—"

"Don't smoke. Ever. I'll never kiss you again if you do."

Yami, Bakura, and Marik collectively blinked, staring at Yugi as if he'd lost his mind. Ryou leaned against Yugi's shoulder, giggling, and Malik rolled his eyes, pulling his textbook back to his side and flipping to a random page, muttering under his breath.

"Poor kid doesn't even know what he's missing."


	3. Death

_Author's Note: _Puzzleshipping and tendershipping ahead!

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**003 – Death**

* * *

He couldn't bring himself to say that the spirit died. Acknowledging it would bring attention to the fact that he'd had him and lost him, and he didn't want to feel as if he'd lost anything.

If anything, Ryou should've been overjoyed that the spirit was gone. He had been, at first, back in Egypt when all he wanted to do was find something to eat. The silence in his head had astounded him, because Bakura had tormented him for so long, so relentlessly, it was almost foreign to actually have a mind of his own again.

With Bakura gone, Ryou could get things done. He was back in school. He actually had legitimate friends now that everyone was certain he was Ryou, and not the revenge-crazed spirit of an ancient Egyptian tomb-robber. It was actually rather nice, and Ryou had told himself that things were finally looking up now that the world was safe and the Millennium Items had been returned to their rightful place within the Pharaoh's tomb.

But Ryou had never been one to block out reality. He wanted to, oh how he wanted, but it was just in his nature to see these things. He understood himself and was able to recognize when something was amiss, and when he first recognized the uncomfortable stirrings in his gut, the boy had been frightened.

Ryou told himself he didn't miss Bakura's presence. Maybe it was having someone to talk to, but that didn't make sense since Ryou had Honda, Anzu, Jou, and Yugi to keep him company now. Or maybe he just missed the Millennium Ring, which had been given to him by his father, and Bakura was simply a part of the Ring, and therefore Ryou had to miss him as well.

Brown eyes slid shut and a groan sounded in the silence of the bathroom. He wasn't making any sense. Ryou's thoughts had been so jumbled as of late. He was skittish, moody, and so sensitive to everything that Jou and Honda were afraid to speak around him now. He had been having trouble concentrating, and when second period had ended that day, the white-haired teen had escaped to the bathroom instead of heading to lunch. Hopefully his friends wouldn't worry about him too much. _If worse comes to worse, Yugi will come looking for me._

Ryou braced his arms on the countertop, taking a few deep breaths as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. "What is wrong with me?" He murmured.

He could admit that he looked awful. There were bags under his eyes, for he hadn't slept through the night in months. He'd caught himself biting his nails earlier in chemistry, right after he noticed that he was wearing two different colors of socks. Ryou knew these were signs of anxiety, maybe even depression, being scatterbrained and tired and impossibly moody, almost to the point where even he was becoming annoyed with his own actions. But he refused to believe it was because of Bakura.

"Maybe all the things he did . . . what he made _me_ do—" Ryou cut himself off, eyes drifting to his left arm and the scar he knew was there, even if his sweater covered it. Bakura may have left, but the effects of his actions—in Ryou's opinion—would never leave. His scars would fade over time, but they would never heal completely. Ryou had had to be so strong for Bakura, keep his mind and body sharp so the spirit wouldn't dispose of him or have more reasons to torment him, and it had been so _hard, _especially since he hadn't been in control the majority of the time. Maybe everything was catching up with him, and his body was beginning to overload.

Ryou jumped when he heard voices out in the hall, shoving his hands under the faucet so the motion sensor activated, dousing his hands in ice-cold water. The boy stayed perfectly still, waiting for the door to open, but the voices passed him by and continued on down the hall, probably towards the cafeteria. Ryou sighed, extracting his hands and reaching for a paper towel. He really had been skittish as of late. But he'd never liked being intruded upon when he was thinking, and standing uselessly in front of the sink would only make people wonder about him. _Never again._

He'd had enough of that, of people fancying him odd because sometimes he would alter personalities in the blink of an eye, quiet and withdrawn one moment, then rude and abrasive the next. It was another lasting impression that Bakura had left him with. Ryou couldn't tell anyone without them thinking he was crazy, so he would always be remembered as that one bipolar kid in high school.

Ryou exited the bathroom feeling anxious and tense, and there was this pain in his chest that refused to leave him to his peace. He started to walk towards the cafeteria, but stopped short, considering. He really wasn't in the mood to be in the loud, claustrophobic space at the moment. Truthfully, all he wanted to do was go home and sleep, and the prospect of having to sit through two more classes was enough to make Ryou wanted to pull his hair out. After a few more moments of hesitation, Ryou turned on his heel and went the opposite way, knowing the perfect place where he could go to clear his head.

He didn't see any students on his trek down the hall, though he passed a few teachers who paid him no heed. Perhaps being deemed a goody-goody wasn't necessarily a bad thing after all. Ryou entered the main stairwell and stomped his way up the steps, strangely comforted by the reverberating sound of the metal. When he threw open the door, he relished in the cool breeze that bore down on him, though he wasn't expecting the sight before him.

Contrary to his prior thoughts, the roof wasn't vacant. There was a lone boy leaning against the wired fencing, legs stretched out in front of him as he fiddled with a Rubik Cube. The look in the boy's eyes was one of pure concentration, but Ryou felt another pang in his chest—although for a different reason this time—when he noticed how the boy's appearance resembled his own.

Yugi didn't look up as Ryou approached and sat down beside him, only wondering a moment too late if perhaps the other teen had come up to the roof to be alone. But Ryou also noticed how lonely Yugi seemed to be. The amethyst-eyed boy always had friends around and was usually never left to his own devices for long; especially not since Atem had left. The two sat in a companionable silence for a while, Ryou watching quietly as Yugi continued to play with his toy, but eventually the brown-eyed boy spoke.

"Shouldn't you be at lunch?"

"Shouldn't you?" Yugi replied quietly, eyes narrowing and nose scrunching slightly as he pondered how to complete his latest challenge. "It's too loud in there. I can barely think."

Ryou nodded, pulling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees. It was too cold all of a sudden. "But," Yugi paused, blowing a stray lock of blond hair out of his face, "it's so quiet I still have trouble thinking even when I'm up here."

Again, Ryou nodded, though he was all too aware that Yugi wasn't referring to the silence of the roof. To Yugi, the silence in his mind was probably almost as suffocating as Bakura's influence had been on Ryou. He and the Pharaoh had gotten along exceptionally well, and Ryou knew Yugi felt his spirit's absence in every waking moment—possibly even in his unconscious ones as well. "I like it." Ryou stated, not sounding as confident as he would've liked. "I mean, it's strange and still kind of foreign, but I'm glad he's gone."

Ryou startled as Yugi started to laugh, and amused and sympathetic amethyst eyes turned their sights on him. "Ryou, it's just me." The teen stated, tilting his head slightly. "You don't have to lie to yourself. I get it."

Ryou blinked, aghast. "But I'm not lying. Bakura made my life Hell, Yugi. I'm glad he's dead."

Yugi's flinch was slight and barely noticeable, but Ryou saw and felt all the horrible for it. "You know," Yugi sighed, leaning heavily against the fence and turning back to the Rubik cube, "technically they were both dead, all that time. The spirits of our Items were just that—spirits. Nothing more. They were long past their time, and if it weren't for us, they never would've been able to take form in the mortal world. It doesn't bother me as much as it should if I think of it like that."

"Like what?"

"That he was gone before I met him." A small smile graced the boy's exhausted face. "It doesn't hurt as much. I can't lose something that was never really there to begin with. And I knew him when he was dead. So, if you think about it, nothing's really changed. He's still dead, just as he's always been, but now he's just . . . not with me."

Ryou said nothing, didn't even dare to breathe, because Yugi was on his own line of thinking. "I keep expecting him to speak to me, you know?" Yugi continued, bending one leg at the knee in an attempt to get more comfortable. "To tell me that things are going to be okay and I'm strong enough on my own. I believed it in Egypt, when Atem was still here, but when he walked through that door—" His fingers stopped moving again, but only momentarily. "When he walked through that door, I didn't anymore. How can I be strong without my other half? I can't even deal with having my own mind. It was hard enough when we were in separate bodies for the duel. Now it's eternal."

Ryou had begun thinking a while back that perhaps Yugi's devotion to the Pharaoh stretched far beyond the lines of friendship. He had no problem with it, though he only wished Yugi didn't have to suffer so much for simply loving someone. Especially someone no longer among the living. "Bakura always accused the Pharaoh of loving you too much." Ryou found himself saying. He couldn't determine yet if it was a bad idea. "He said it made him weak."

Yugi glanced up again, staring at Ryou in a way that made the white-haired boy wonder if Yugi was looking straight into his soul. But then a smirk spread across Yugi's face. "Perhaps we both loved each other too much in the end. Our story would've made a fantastic premise for a novel, don't you think?"

Ryou laughed softly, shaking his head in exasperation. "Not even death could keep the star-crossed lovers apart. Is that what you're saying?"

"No, that's not quite it." Ryou was surprised Yugi was so willingly discussing this with him. He'd never admitted his feelings for the Pharaoh before now. What had changed? "Atem had to leave. Death tore us apart in the end. But someday," Yugi lifted the Rubik cube in front of Ryou's eyes, showing off the completed puzzle, "death will bring us back together."

Brown eyes widened in bewilderment, and Yugi laughed, tossing the multicolored box into the space between Ryou's chest and legs. "Don't look so horrified. I don't plan on dying anytime soon. I'm just saying that's when we'll be reunited. You'll be reunited with the Thief King someday too, you know."

Ryou's smile disappeared. "Lucky me. Can't I pick a different afterlife?"

"Well, I don't know how all that works, but even so, why would you want to?" Yugi questioned, looking genuinely confused. "You miss him, don't you?"

"What?" Did Yugi honestly not see how miserable Bakura had made him, how miserable he was _still _making him? "Of course I don't miss him! Do you know how many times I tried to rid myself of that lunatic?"

Yugi still looked confused, but then, ever so slowly, a look of comprehension dawned on his face. His mouth opened slightly as if he was preparing to say something, but then thought better of it, simply staring imploringly at Ryou. "I mean, yeah, I'm not used to not sharing a mind with him yet, but at least now I'm my own person." Ryou continued, curling his fingers into his forearm so tightly he was sure he peeled skin. "I don't have to worry about hurting anyone, and I don't have to watch what I do for fear of being ridiculed." That wasn't necessarily true, but Yugi didn't need to know that. "I can't sleep, I can't eat, and I can't concentrate on anything anymore. Yugi, I—I'm so _sick _of this."

Horrified with the tightness in his chest and heat in his cheeks, Ryou buried his face within his forearms, fighting to swallow through the thickness in his throat. Yugi was silent for a long time, but when he did finally speak, Ryou was certain the world had ended. "Sharing a body with someone for so long does something to you, Ryou, something that you can't control." Yugi's voice was almost sympathetic. "You grow accustomed to it, you begin to crave it, and eventually you come to depend on it. Atem and I . . . I believe we were two halves to one soul. I never knew how utterly complete I could feel until the day I acknowledged his presence within me. We understood each other, and our bond flourished over the years we were together.

"As much as you may not want to admit it, you and Bakura are—were in the same situation. Bakura's done bad things, that I won't try to deny, but I understand why he did it now. He wanted revenge, and while that's not necessarily okay, he did it for closure. He thought what he was doing was justified and correct. And the things he did to you, Ryou, that's not okay either. But the two of you grew dependent on one another. He needed you just as much as you needed him."

"How?" Ryou choked out. "We're not like you and Atem, Yugi. Bakura never cared for me at all."

"How do you know? Bakura wouldn't talk about his feelings if you paid him to. He's not like Atem, or Honda, or Jou. Bakura was Bakura, and he's the man you miss, Ryou." Yugi paused, and Ryou soon felt fingers running soothingly through his hair. "You saw beyond the Bakura we all knew, didn't you? You shared a mind with him. Surely he couldn't keep everything hidden from you?"

Despite himself, Ryou nodded. He'd always told himself before their trip to Egypt that Bakura must have suffered horribly for him to be such a vengeful and hate-filled person. He'd tried to be sympathetic, but it was—and still was months after his departure—hard. "He was . . . so sad. He—He watched them all die, Yugi. The despair at losing everything . . . how could someone so young go through that and still have the will to keep going?"

"You're talking about Bakura here." Yugi said softly. "He defied a lot of odds in his lifetime."

"I don't see how you can speak of him so calmly. He did so much wrong to you and the Pharaoh."

"Well, I've done a lot of thinking lately, and I decided it's useless to hold a grudge now that everything's over and done."

Ryou sniffed, lifting his head and blinking through his tears to try and see Yugi's face. "Even so, I'm not like you. I don't love my other half."

Yugi shrugged. "Maybe not. Or maybe you're just too stubborn to accept it." Ryou opened his mouth to protest, but Yugi waved it off, a smirk beginning to appear on his round face. "You two make up one soul. Love him or hate him, Bakura will always be apart of you, and I don't think that's something you can change. Maybe that's why you're so upset and sick. You're fighting against the truth, and I think you're hurting yourself in the process."

"Well, what about you?" Ryou challenged. "You look just as miserable as I do!"

"Well, I love Atem. I'm miserable because he isn't here. Comparing the two of us is basically admitting that you love Bakura, Ryou."

For a change, Ryou had nothing to say.

Yugi grinned and stood, dusting off his jeans before extending a hand to Ryou, who was trying to dry his tears. "I know you don't condone skipping school—neither do I, really—but I think we can make an exception just this once. The two of us deserve a day off."

Ryou hesitated, but eventually caved under the expectant look in Yugi's eyes and took his hand, wondering if perhaps Yugi knew him better than he knew himself.


	4. Love

_Author's Note: _Sorry this took so long. I've been busy with school and whatnot. I'm sure a lot of people are at this time of year.

This drabble contains one-sided revolutionshipping, peachshipping, and replayshipping, microscopic polarshipping, and puzzleshipping.

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**004 – Love**

* * *

"Anzu, how do you know if you're in love?"

"Girls, if you wish to remain here, you must stay silent."

Anzu Mazaki and Rebecca Hopkins both started in their seats as the librarian at the desk scolded them for the first time that day, Rebecca offering her apologies while Anzu mulled over her friend's bizarre inquiry.

The two of them had been sitting at their table for most of the morning, having come after breakfast with the rest of their friends to study for finals, though neither of them had seen anyone else for quite some time. Jou and Honda had already been kicked out for disorderly conduct in the men's bathroom an hour or so before, it was nearly impossible to keep track of Ryou when you presented him with novelty paperbacks, and Yugi and Yami had wandered off together almost immediately upon arriving. Both Anzu and Rebecca took their studies seriously and hadn't spoken a word in all the time they'd spent at the library, so Anzu couldn't fathom why Rebecca had decided to speak now, especially to ask a question as random as that.

"Love?" Anzu repeated quietly, turning a page in her book. She was very aware that the librarian would still be watching them for a few minutes, so she wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. "Becky, didn't you ever receive the 'Birds and the Bees' talk when you were little?"

Rebecca dealt a swift blow to Anzu's shin underneath the cover of the table, grinning slyly when the brunette glared over at her. "Of course I did. 'When two people love each other, they come together and make a baby.' But that never explained _how _you know if you love someone. So, I'm asking you, Anzu, as my closest female friend, to help me out a little."

Anzu had never imagined herself giving this sort of talk to someone at sixteen, especially to someone as intellectual as Rebecca, though she didn't dwell on the oddities for long. There were exams to study for, after all.

"Well," Anzu paused, searching for the right words. She'd never put much thought into the matter, for she'd never truly been in love. She'd had a crush on Yugi when they were younger, before Yami moved to their town, but now she was just confused. She loved Yami and Yugi like the brothers she'd never had, but was it more than that? Could you even love more than one person?

The beating at the back of Anzu's skull told her she was putting entirely too much thought into the matter.

"If you're in love with a person, you just want good things to happen to him or her. You always smile when you're with them, and they make you laugh like no one else can. You want to be with them a lot, and you always want to make them happy, no matter what it takes. I think you have to be attracted to the person too; I've never heard of a case where someone wasn't before."

"It sounds too easy." Rebecca commented, adjusting her blue-rimmed glasses casually. "Too perfect. Like it's all milk and honey."

"Well, couples are going to have their fights." Anzu replied, thoughts drifting to Jou and Mai. Oh, what a train wreck those two could be. "There will be misunderstandings and arguments, but if you truly do love a person, you'd be willing to work past the hurdles. But if the relationship can't be salvaged or doesn't stand a chance to begin with," her throat tightened, "then you let them go."

In all honesty, Anzu had once thought about striking up a romantic relationship with Yami. They'd been friends for years and something about the way Yami carried himself drew Anzu in like a moth to a flame. She'd almost done it too, but her friendship with Yugi had held her back. She wasn't too sure what Yugi wanted, what the amethyst-eyed teen thought about her or Yami or just romance in general. Her friend was a mystery more often than not, who only wanted to see his friend's happy and therefore wouldn't share his opinion often, but Anzu could see how they were together. She would've had to be an idiot not to.

Anzu sighed, pushing the bothersome thoughts away to focus on Rebecca. The blonde was watching her carefully, a thoughtful expression on her face, though eventually, she began to smile.

Anzu noticed how sad she looked.

"But don't listen to me." The brunette said quickly, worried that something she'd said had upset Rebecca. It was obvious to everyone the girl had a crush on Yugi. That must have been the reason why she'd asked about love in the first place! Had Anzu inadvertently told the blonde that she and Yugi didn't stand a chance? "I've never been in love before, I don't really know what I'm talking about."

The librarian shushed them again, though this time Anzu was the one scrambling to apologize while Rebecca mulled things over. "You know, Anzu," the blonde said softly, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, "I think you do know what you're talking about."

Anzu frowned, perplexed, and opened her mouth to say something when Rebecca shook her head, gesturing off to the right, to where the majority of the bookshelves were. Maroon colored eyes scanned the rows upon rows of books before spotting what Rebecca must have been gesturing towards.

Yugi and Yami had made an appearance once more, the two of them back to back as Yami searched the shelves, while Yugi was scanning through the pages of what appeared to be a book on Egyptology. The taller of the duo placed his hands on his hips and frowned, scowling at the books before him as if it was their fault he couldn't find whatever he was searching for. Apparently haven given up for the moment, Yami turned to glance at Yugi, sliding closer to read over the shorter boy's shoulder.

Anzu watched as Yami leaned forward to whisper something in Yugi's ear, causing the younger boy to stiffen slightly, closing his book sharply. Anzu feared Yami had said something racy again to perhaps rile Yugi up in the overall silent library, but Yugi squashed those fears immediately. With a smirk firmly in place, Yugi glanced up at his ruby-eyed companion – who obviously had no knowledge of personal space – whispered something right back to him, and then slapped the book into Yami's chest, letting his fingers linger for a heartbeat before he turned on his heel and walked away, scanning the isles for another subject to study.

As Anzu and Rebecca continued to watch, they were treated to the rare sight of Yami Atemu – King of Card Games – actually _blushing. _It was hardly noticeable against his tanned skin, but to two girls who had spent the majority of their lives being teased by the boy for their own blushing tendencies, the difference was all the more noticeable. Muttering under his breath, Yami put the book back and followed after Yugi, probably to enact some revenge of his own while the opportunity still stood.

Anzu and Rebecca shared a mutual glance before returning to their books, allowing the pair to have their private fun.

There were exams to study for, after all.

* * *

_A.N. _I'll leave it up to your imaginations to figure out what was being said between Yami and Yugi.


	5. Dark

_Author's Note: _This is probably the most morbid thing I've ever written in my life. I watched a movie earlier about this kind of subject matter, and the idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I ran with it. I think I'll update Thursday with something else I've been working on for Valentine's Day, so hopefully it will make up for this depressing mess of a drabble.

* * *

**005 - Dark  
**

* * *

"_It'll be fine. I've been doing this long enough, I can take care of myself, you know?"_

He never should have let him go off on his own.

"_I don't know, Yugi. It's tourist season, you never know who you'll run into. I wouldn't feel right leaving you on the streets by yourself."_

"_You can't hang around when I'm working all the time. You scare people off. Do you have that little faith in me? Think I can't get the job done on my own?"_

He had faith. In Yugi, in his skill, and in their system. But not in humanity. Never in the people who paid for their lifestyle, that allowed things to go on as they were. Scum like that were good for their cash and absolutely nothing else.

"_I'm just being cautious. If I can't be there, at least take Mai or Jou. They'll look out for you, make sure everything goes smoothly."_

"_Jou will scare the customers away, and Mai will just take them for herself. Honestly, Yami, I'm no novice. I can work my way around a politician or a drunk. I'll be in and out before they even realize it's over. I'm no Mai. I won't stick around just to sweet-talk more cash out of 'em."_

Yugi was indeed no Mai. He would never have to get pregnant like she did and then con the father into paying for a way out. He hadn't chosen their life, didn't derive pleasure from being wanted, sought after, the way Mai was. It had merely been a means to survive to him, back in those days when hope was hard to come by and one night of peace, a night to be by oneself with no customers, was a blessing.

"_You're small, though. You still look like a child. Some people would take advantage of that."_

"_Oh, I know. You'll never let me forget. Just let me work this one night on my own. That traveling businessman is in town tonight, and you're his favorite. I won't be responsible for you missing out on good money. Just go, I'll be okay. I promise."_

Yugi had always kept his promises, back in those days. He'd been an optimistic little teen then, cheerful, despite the things he'd had to do, the things he'd had to see. Mai had called him a natural, for he had good coping skills and an outlook on life difficult to find in those streets, at that time.

"_Okay, fine. But if you find yourself with a customer that's more forceful than what you're used to, kick him where it counts and run."_

"_After I grab the money, right?"_

"_Fuck the money, just get your ass out of there. Say you will."_

He should have made him promise more.

"_Okay, I will. But that won't happen. I know who to stay away from, Yami."_

He should have made him stay away.

"_Just stay safe. I'll meet you at the usual place, all right? Midnight, don't forget."_

He should have made him promise to come back to him safely.

"_Don't be such a worrywart, Yami, it's not very attractive. It'll be okay. I love you, and I'll see you tonight."_

Yugi never came back that night.

Yami remembered when he first met Yugi, in the summer of '92. He had been twelve then, a lanky thing who specialized in pick-pocketing and conning sympathetic women in their thirties out of the change in their pocketbooks. It had been raining that night, a terrible thunderstorm that Yami hadn't minded walking in, for it was the closest thing he could get to a shower. He'd been walking through an alley, hands stuffed deep inside the pockets of a jacket he'd managed to snag from a shelter, head down to shield his eyes from the wind. If he hadn't been looking down, he might not have seen the sneaker sticking out from behind a dumpster that was illuminated during a stroke of lightning. He'd stopped, been intrigued, and dragged his eyes from the sneaker, to the leg attached to it, and then the dirty, lean face of a child that soon after became the center of Yami's universe.

Yugi wouldn't say what had happened to him, how he'd come to be out on the streets when he was only ten and Yami hadn't asked. Everyone had secrets out on the streets, demons they wanted to run from and never planned on sharing. At twelve, Yami suddenly had another mouth to feed, another life to protect, and he took that job in particular very seriously. Yugi witnessed Yami's transition from grade-A pick-pocket to prostitute when the people in the streets caught on to his scams. Aubergine eyes would watch from the shadows as Yami climbed into a random, different car every night, would see the blank look in crimson eyes when he returned and the smile he would flash in reassurance that everything was okay.

Things changed over the years as Yugi and Yami grew. They branched out from their own tight-nit allegiance and met Jounouchi, a loudmouth of a blond that was running from a horrible past at the hands of an abusive father. Yami sympathized, remembered hearing thumps in the night when he was just a small boy and the sound of his mother crying herself to sleep in the next room. He ran when she died, never got used to the idea of being alone with his father, and subjected himself to a life on the streets rather than live with that man whose name he refused to remember.

Mai came next. She was a good ten years older than any of them, but she acted much younger than appearances went. They lost track of her more often than not, disappearing for days, sometimes weeks at a time, but they never worried. She always came back in the end.

It was after Mai's first pregnancy scare that Yugi announced that he wanted to work. Yami had been terrified at the mere thought, didn't even like the idea of leaving the younger boy alone while he and Jou were out in the streets, but he didn't dream of trying to stop him, as determined as he was. He had wanted to find his own way, help to meet ends in the life they had chosen. Yugi was good at it, Yami had to admit, though it had taken all of his self-control not to follow when Yugi got into a car for the first time.

He'd only been thirteen.

The night Yugi disappeared, Yami received five hundred dollars from the businessman Yugi was so adamant that he see. Jou had been ecstatic, raving on and on about how well they were going to eat for the next few weeks, but Yami had only been thinking of Yugi. He left Jou and Mai with the cash and walked off to the metro to wait for Yugi. It had been their system, that no matter where they were, no matter the state of their bodies or minds, they would always meet at the metro at midnight to regroup. It had worked too, had reassured the two of them for all the years they were together that they would never be truly alone, that they always had somewhere to go. Yami waited and waited, long into the night and well into the morning hours as well when he should have been hidden safely away, but Yugi never came.

Yami was seventeen when that happened, when he lost the most important person in his life; little fifteen-year-old Yugi Atemu - he had taken Yami's last name for reasons Yami never fully understood - who patrolled the streets at night with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. The customers had flocked to him, noticed how exuberant he was, how young and optimistic compared to people like Yami or Mai who had long since lost the spark in their eyes. Yami supposed he had coveted that boy too much. Maybe if he hadn't grown so attached he would have taught Yugi how to protect himself better. Yami had always promised to be there, after all, so why did the kid have to learn everything? But he'd left him, if only for a night, didn't trail whatever vehicle his little light had bravely stepped into, and it had been his biggest mistake.

Life went on after that. On the streets, it was eat or be eaten, and no one took much notice when Yugi suddenly vanished. Yami knew, felt his absence so deeply it affected his work, his trust in people, and Jou had to take over for a time. It was during that period that Jou actually met a client worth staying with, a CEO of some big-time company that to this day Yami didn't care enough to remember the name of. He did remember Seto Kaiba, however, and would never forget him and everything he did for him and Jou. Jounouchi had tried to get Yami and Mai to accompany him off the streets when Seto offered shelter, but they had refused. Yami wouldn't risk Yugi returning only to find them gone. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. Mai just stayed for her own reasons, said she had spent too long working the rounds and couldn't simply "go back to normal" ever again.

So, Jou left the streets, but he never gave up on Yami or Mai. He eventually managed to convince them when he returned to their old spot one night to see them and found Mai holding a tired and bloodied Yami. That last customer, the one that pushed Yami to his breaking point, had been the final straw, and Jou and Seto practically dragged the two of them off the streets. Yami hadn't the energy to fight back then, but he'd hated himself for being so weak, for giving up on Yugi.

Yami and Mai lived on the couches in the apartment Seto bought Jou for a few weeks until Mai disappeared one morning. The normal life was too much for her, and she went back to the only thing she knew. Yami, on the other hand, stayed. He stayed with Jou, who stayed with Seto, and eventually the years he had spent on the streets were a thing of the past. He had no desire to return, never once contemplated it, but he still went back to that metro station every night, just in case Yugi showed up.

Jou and Yami drove down the streets they had so often worked in their youth. They never spoke, just watched, observed the kids walking around during the day and wondering if when night fell, they lived the kind of life they once had. Yami saw those kids and saw himself, saw Yugi, and he tried to help, but none of them ever listened. They saw Mai from time to time, but she was a phantom of their past that they could never truly catch up with. Jou thought she was embarrassed that while he and Yami had cleaned up their lives, she was still living that way of her own volition. Yami understood. Sometimes it was a little surreal, sitting in the apartment in the city that he shared with Jounouchi with food always at the ready. He never had to sell himself again, never had to worry that this one meal could be his last.

But he did worry about Yugi. All the time. He refused to believe that his partner was gone, dead in a ditch somewhere, but when faced with the alternative, perhaps death was swifter and more desirable a fate. If Yami regretted one thing in his life, it was allowing Yugi to stay with him. He should have dropped that child off at a shelter, allowed someone to adopt him, love him the way he deserved to be loved, but he hadn't.

Some of the last few words Yugi ever said to him were, "I love you," and they would surely haunt Yami until the day he died. He beat himself up for never saying them back when he'd wanted to, for allowing Yugi's small, fragile hand to slip from his grasp that night. He remembered how Yugi had blown him a playful kiss before walking off down the street with a spring in his step. They'd never officially been "together," but Yami didn't think they had needed a word for whatever had gone on between them. They held each other as they slept during the day, laughed and joked to pass the time, and at night they went off and slept with other men only to return to each other bruised and empty once it was all over. If Yami had known those were the last few moments he would get with the boy, he would've said more, would've done more to get him to stay behind, to express what he felt for him.

He couldn't help but think of how scared Yugi must have been when things started to go wrong. Had the other screamed, cried out for Yami, who was off somewhere having sex with a grown man for money to pay for their next meal? It kept him awake at night, those thoughts of what he could have done differently to ensure that Yugi was asleep in bed next to him, sharing in this new, safer life he and Jou had managed to acquire.

He replayed that final conversation in his head every day to make sure he never forgot the sound of Yugi's voice, the irritated tone it would take when he thought Yami was being too protective. _"I'm not a novice. I can take care of myself."_

Yugi was indeed no novice. He was good at what he did, and _that _had made him desirable, a target for whatever sick person had picked him up that night and didn't allow him to return home, to Yami.

Yugi would be eighteen at this point, but he had been an adult long before, at thirteen, when he lost his virginity to some random stranger in a grungy motel. Yami could cry at the thought, remembered waiting at the metro until Yugi had come stumbling through the darkness, hands in his pockets and collar high on his neck. Yami had looked him over, stared at the small bruises on the boy's neck with a fierce longing and protectiveness that he knew he couldn't act upon. Yugi had coughed, wiped at his nose fiercely with the sleeve of his jacket, then smiled and offered Yami the money. "Did I do good for my first time?"

Yami shed the tears Yugi wouldn't that night, as well as every night afterward when Yugi came to the metro with the weight of the world on his back and the scent of another man on his skin.

Even at twenty, three years after Yugi vanished, Yami cried for him, for every dollar he made and every client he pleased. And it was always at the metro, at the same time, at the same bench, where Yami would remember that boy in vivid detail, bruises and all, as he handed Yami the money that he had strangely never wanted to keep for himself. _"Did I do good, Yami?"_

"_You did awesome, Yugi."_

He never should have encouraged him.


	6. Best Friends

_Author's Note: _Wrote this for a friend and thought I might as well add it here.

* * *

**006 - Best Friends**

* * *

"Please, Bakura?"

"No."

Friendship, as a certain high school student was beginning to realize, was more trouble than it was worth.

"As your best friend, I am simply not going to allow you to sit around today and do nothing. Your life is passing you by, don't you want to go out and _do _something?"

"I can watch the world fall to shit right here from my couch."

The concept of friendship in and of itself was certainly starting to lose its appeal and had been for years.

Exasperated aubergine fixated firmly on bored auburn. "Valentines Day, Bakura! Every year the two of us sit alone and hate the world for being so happy – "

"You're the one always griping about not being able to get a date or whatever. I could care less."

" – and this time I have someone to spend time with and you don't. I refuse to leave my friend alone on a holiday, so we need to fix this. If you have any better ideas, I would love to hear them."

Bakura tilted his head back over the edge of the couch to watch as his companion paced, his normally cheerful face pinched and furrowed as he fretted over the situation. It had always been like this, the teen thought lazily, ever since they were small children. Yugi apparently liked to make others' problems his own, even if said problem wasn't one to begin with. "You look like a hot mess." Bakura commented, satisfied when Yugi paused in his movement. All that pacing would ruin the carpet. "Tell me again why you're here bothering me instead of getting ready for this date of yours?"

Yugi huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring down at the white-haired teen. "It's not a date, and I would have been home and ready half an hour ago if you would just freaking agree."

"Look, I am just simply touched that you went through all the trouble to orchestrate a date for me, but it wasn't necessary. Plus, I don't need a little pipsqueak like you setting me up. If I wanted, I could find my own."

"Yeah, 'cause you're such a people person." Yugi teased, moving forward to brace his arms on either side of Bakura's head. "What, you gonna ask your followers on Tumblr to fly around the world to come spend time with you?"

"They'd do it too. Those bitches love me." Bakura grunted, pushing himself up and off the couch as Yugi started to laugh. "Yugi, this is getting old. Just go home and quit bugging me."

The smaller teen pursed his lips in a pout, draping himself across the coffee-colored linen of the couch. "I just feel like Valentines Day was our thing, you know? Malik and Mariku were always off together, so it was just the two of us. Now I'm going out, and you're staying here. I feel like I'm abandoning you."

Yugi's obvious guilt would have made Bakura feel smug on any other day, knowing that he had collateral over his friend to perhaps use at a later date, but now it was just annoying. They were seventeen now, adults practically, not little grade school kids that had to hold each other's hand through everything – not that they ever held hands to begin with. Yugi didn't have to feel like it was his duty as Bakura's friend to stay with him or find him a date for Valentines Day. The training wheels had come off long ago, but Yugi had never really gotten or accepted the memo.

"I'm not a fucking kitten you're leaving out in the rain. Anime is on my TV, pizza is on the way, I'm ready to have a good fucking night, and you're here being annoying. I swear, if you don't walk yourself out that door right now, I'll throw you out myself."

"Just say you'll hang out with this guy!" Yugi pleaded, pushing himself up only to hop over the back of the couch, bouncing on the cushion once before standing up to face Bakura's irritated form. "Atem said he was really nice."

"Is this some kind of double date thing with you and your piece of ass?"

"What? No! I love you, man, but I don't want you breathing down my neck all the time, sheesh."

Bakura could feel his eye starting to twitch. "What's this kid's name?"

"Ryou. Ryou Bakura, believe it or not. He's Atem's best friend."

"And you've never met him before? What kind of boyfriend are you, never meeting Atem's best friend?"

"We're not _dating _dating. We've only been hanging out for a few weeks." Yugi said quickly, though Bakura distinctly remembered seven different occasions when his purple-eyed friend blushed stupidly at his phone in the weeks following Yugi and Atem's first encounter. One of the first ones had been at the skate park; Yugi had been so distracted when his phone went off he almost completely wiped out on the ramps. Even Malik had focused long enough to pester Yugi about his reactions whenever he received a text, going as far as chasing the guy around to gain access to his messages. Yugi was scatter-brained, but certainly wouldn't blush or fumble over his words for no reason.

Not _dating _dating, indeed.

"So, you're just ditching me for some random guy on _Valentine's Day _of all days?"

"See, I knew you were upset!"

"I am not – " Bakura broke off with a growl, slapping a hand over his forehead. "Dammit, Yugi. You would find some guy with a last name that matches my first one. What does the kid even look like?"

"I don't know. Never met him, remember? And 'Bakura' is a common name, not sure why."

"You could be setting me up with a serial killer, what with all you know about this guy!"

"Just say you'll do it, 'Kura?" Yugi pleaded, clasping his hands together and blinking huge, aubergine eyes up at his less than compliant friend. "Ryou's going to be alone today too since Atem will be with me. This will be good for you, hanging out with someone that isn't Malik, Mariku, or me."

Bakura had been friends with Yugi for a long time, since they were in grade school and all they had was each other's company. In all those years, Bakura had seen that look directed at adults, girls, and others boys, but this was the first time it had been sent his way as a means to get him to comply. He normally gave in to whatever Yugi wanted him to do, because more often than not, the guy had good ideas. Bakura released a frustrated sigh. Who could really say no to that look?

"No."

It wasn't as hard as Malik or Mariku complained.

"Gah! I'm done, I quit." Yugi threw his hands up and turned, spinning on the heel of his red, converse sneaker and heading for the stairs, now all too willing to leave Bakura alone in his basement with nothing but the television set, pool table, and mini-fridge. Really, there was no better place to spend Valentine's Day. "Have fun being alone. Watch a lot of Fullmetal for me."

"Don't let him fuck you on the first date!" Bakura called after Yugi's retreating form, chuckling under his breath as his friend stomped through the house, shaking the rafters as he went, before shrieking a, "It's _not _a _date," _and slamming the door as he left. Yugi was lucky Bakura's parents weren't home, or they would have a few choice words with him whenever he showed his face next.

The opening theme was just beginning to play when Bakura flopped back down on his couch, relieved that Yugi was gone. He knew the guy meant well, but really, setting him up on a blind date? That was just a toxic situation waiting to happen. Bakura did hope Yugi shared the news with Atem so he could tell this Ryou character whatever they had planned was off. Bakura didn't want it weighing down his conscience if Ryou was left high and dry waiting somewhere.

As the episode continued, Bakura began to wonder what Yugi had planned with Atem. He hadn't thought to ask much about the date, too busy covering his own ass to worry much about it. He had never met the guy, didn't know his last name, hadn't even seen a picture, and Bakura was a bit standoffish when it came to the thought of a guy he had never met dating his best friend, even if Yugi was firm in saying they were just friends. Yugi tried to see the good in people even if there was none – his best friends were all juvenile delinquents, after all – and the pale teen wouldn't be shocked if Yugi managed to find himself wrapped up with a player or something of the sort.

No, Yugi had better judgment than that, but if anything happened on this date-not-date that left Yugi in tears or worse, Atem was going to have a few pissed off teens who knew how to use skateboards as weapons on his hands.

The doorbell rang a half hour or so after Yugi left, and Bakura paused the disc and tossed away the remote before pushing himself to his feet. There was a skateboard sitting just outside the door when Bakura jogged his way up, and, scoffing, the seventeen-year-old kicked it out of the way. "Thanks, Yugi, nothing says 'Happy Valentine's Day' like a tumble down the fucking stairs."

Digging in his back pocket for his wallet, Bakura fumbled for the brass knob for a heartbeat before wrenching the door open. "It's been over half an hour, man, this better be fr – "

Bakura paused, stared, and contemplated the sight before him for a moment before silently cursing every deity in the universe that he ever became friends with Yugi fucking Motou, apparently a guy that didn't understand the concept of the word "No."

"I'm sorry." Bakura didn't even need to ask the newcomer what his name was. "Were you expecting someone else?"

"A pizza guy, not a twelve-year-old." Bakura replied, raising his left arm above his head to lean the elbow against the doorframe, hooking the thumb on his other hand into a loop on his jeans.

The boy that Bakura knew was Ryou raised a pale eyebrow in response to the jibe, white hair that was shockingly similar to Bakura's own shifting slightly in the cool breeze outside. Bakura eyed him openly, taking in the letterman jacket native to the local private school that Bakura had made fun of many a time, the dark denim jeans, and the dark red high tops adorning his feet. A black Camry sat in the driveway, and Bakura almost snorted aloud. Yugi had actually set him up with some snobby rich kid! Malik and Mariku would have a field day with this when they heard. "Looks can be deceiving." The boy replied. "I'm older than I appear, as I'm sure you are."

Bakura only stared, and Ryou smiled, suddenly proper as he stuck out his hand. "Ryou Bakura. Atem's boyfriend sent me here, thought you could use some company."

"Bakura Dahlman." The teen replied, taking the offered hand after a few moments of hesitation. Despite the frigid air, Ryou's skin was warm to the touch, his grip firm. Not bad for a private school kid. "Yugi mentioned you. Didn't think you'd actually show up here."

"I kind of figured." Ryou laughed, stuffing his hands inside the pockets of his jacket. "Sorry for any inconvenience. But I'm here, might as well stay."

"Yeah, might as well." Bakura replied, moving out of the doorway and waiting for the other boy to step inside before closing the door behind him. "I was just in the basement watching TV. Door's right over there, you can go down if you want."

"You know how to spend a day right, Mr. Dahlman."

"Uh, yeah." The fuck was wrong with this kid? Something about him, the way he spoke, was just strange, more so than other private school kids Bakura had encountered. This was a person Yugi would probably hang out with, or Malik, but not Bakura. He wasn't sure whether to blame Yugi or Atem for this oversight, eventually decided on Yugi since he could put him in a headlock or push him off a ramp, but for now, he was going to have to deal with Ryou until Bakura either kicked him out or the other boy decided enough was enough and left. And with anime playing downstairs, how was Bakura supposed to find the attention span to host this guy? _Yugi is so getting punched next time I see him. Better snag Atem now before I disfigure his face. _

Bakura stomped down the stairs after Ryou, intent on changing back to normal television before the other found out what Bakura was actually watching, but then he noticed the other's posture. Ryou had walked around the couch but had paused just short of sitting down and was staring at the television screen with an odd expression on his face. "Something the matter?"

"Atem didn't tell me he was sending me off to spend the day with a crazy person." The other replied, incredulously, turning to fix wide, brown eyes on Bakura. "Seriously, who sits here and watches Maes Hughes get shot on Valentine's Day? This is depressing!"

Bakura coughed, surprised, and finished making his way down the stairs. "It's depressing no matter what day I watch it, might as well be today."

Ryou scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause that makes sense."

The taller teen smirked before vaulting over the couch as Yugi had done earlier, making a grab for the remote and starting the episode again. "You can always leave if you want. No one's stopping you."

"Atem promised Yugi I would keep you company, so I'm not leaving just yet." Ryou replied, finally sitting down, though his body was angled away from the television, facing Bakura. "Have you seen any other anime?"

"Lots."

"Ever watched _Hetalia?_"

"Yugi tried to force me to watch it once. Never really got into it."

"Uncultured swine."

"The characters were annoying, there were too many of them, and they all acted gay, what do you want from me?"

Ryou closed his eyes and seemed to sigh, shaking his head. "You don't even know the half of it. I'm assuming _Fullmetal Alchemist_ is your favorite?"

Bakura nodded, eyeing the other closely as he sat all prim and proper on the couch, still wearing that stupid looking jacket and seemingly all too aware of what was happening on the screen he was so far refusing to look at. "One of them. Certainly the one I've been into the longest."

"Who's your favorite character?"

"Probably Olivier, the most badass character in the entire show."

"Really? Hmm, I would've expected you to pick a homunculus for some reason. You seem to like the destruction they bring."

"They're pretty awesome as well." Bakura conceded, dragging his gaze from the screen to Ryou, noting that his companion had relented and was watching the scene unfold with a clenched fist pressed to his mouth. This was new. Most of the private school kids he had ever encountered turned up their noses to this type of thing. "You one of those people that takes the death of a fictional character seriously?"

Ryou flinched at the gunshot that came from the speakers, but when he turned to face Bakura again, he was smiling. "Oh, yeah. Especially awesome dads like Hughes."

"Your dad like that? Creepy as hell?"

"Well, I wouldn't know, I've never met him. My sister says he's away on some extended business trip, but I wonder sometimes."

Bakura was silent. What was there to say after an announcement like that, after all? "Oh, I fear I've made things awkward." Ryou said, smiling ruefully as he took Bakura's silence for what it was. "Sorry, sometimes I forget when I'm not safely in Atem's company."

"What's that guy like?" Bakura inquired, turning down the volume to tune out Elicia's cries somewhat. He was actually curious about this.

"Oh, Atem's amazing!" Ryou exclaimed, bouncing back rather quickly. "He's nice and quite hilarious if you ask me. A gentleman too, or at least where his dates are concerned. When it's just us, he doesn't care about manners or the like. He's of Egyptian decent, and his parents are sticklers for propriety. Yugi's in good hands, rest assured."

"I wasn't worried about that." Bakura sniffed, though he actually was. "Yugi can take care of himself. What are they even doing tonight anyway? I never got a chance to ask."

"Atem said something about the movies. I think they were going to see that new one. _Beautiful Creatures_, or something like that. Yugi chose."

"Sounds like Yugi." Bakura remembered being in eighth grade and listening to Yugi go on and on about that book series. When the movie was announced, his friend was just completely insufferable and demanded that Bakura, Malik, and Mariku go with him to see it. Apparently he'd found someone else to drag to book adaptations. "Atem must think a lot of Yugi if he'd willingly go see that with him."

Ryou nodded, smiling fondly at the mention of his friend. "Atem's pretty crazy about him. You should hear him go on and on about how wonderful Yugi is. The guys at school make fun of him sometimes, but Atem couldn't care less. He's pretty much smitten."

"People at your school homophobic or something?"

The smile on the other's face disappeared. "Well, there are people like that at every school, not just ours."

"Is Atem rich?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, in case you didn't notice, Yugi and I, we're not like you and Atem. He lives alone with his grandpa in a small apartment above a game shop. Takes a bus, uses his skateboard, or walks to get places. That sort of thing."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Things like that shouldn't matter when it comes to who you talk to. Atem likes _Yugi, _not his assets."

"Oh, I beg to differ."

"What are you – oh."

Bakura could have laughed at the expression on the kid's face, red and flustered with frustration and embarrassment. Truthfully, he just wanted the little rich kid out of his home so he could spend the day in peace, but if he was honest with himself, Ryou was probably even more fun to mess with than Yugi, and that was saying something. "So, tell me about yourself." Ryou began eventually, though Bakura noticed how the quiet, polite tone of his voice had nearly vanished. "Aside from the fact that you like anime. I saw the skateboard in the hall upstairs. Is that a hobby of yours?"

"I guess so. The guys and I got bored one day and decided to try it out."

"Is it hard?"

"Not really. You just can't be a little pussy about it."

Ryou frowned, seemed to think. "How exactly did you become friends with Yugi? I've never met him personally, but Atem tells me enough, and somehow, I wouldn't peg the two of you to be that close."

_Never heard that one before. _"We were in second grade. I'd just moved here, didn't know anybody, used to sit alone on the playground, and one day Yugi walked up, sat down, and just started talking. Haven't been able to get rid of him since."

"What a touching story of friendship."

"Well, let's hear your story then." Bakura shot back. "How'd you buddy up with Atem?"

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not discuss it."

This was just getting ridiculous. How could Bakura irritate this kid into leaving if the responses to his questions were so weighted that Bakura was the one that didn't want to respond? "So," Ryou started once more, "do you have any siblings?"

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"All this twenty-questions crap. We both know you're only here because you made a promise to Atem or whatever. We'll probably never see each other after this, so why even bother?"

Ryou looked taken aback by the comment – even Bakura had to admit it sort of came out of nowhere – but he didn't back down, watching as the other boy opened and closed his mouth, looking for a response. Eventually he sighed, auburn eyes taking on a dark hint that hadn't been present before as he turned back to the television. "You're right."

Silence ensued after that, and Bakura became increasingly agitated as time went on. Ryou had stopped trying to make conversation and was watching the screen with a scowl on his face, arms crossed, and the other teen almost felt guilty for what he'd said. Yugi said it was one of his worst qualities, that mouth of his, when sometimes he just said the first thing that came to mind without really thinking about it. It had certainly gotten him in trouble before, at school and at home, but Bakura had never felt this remorseful for something he'd said. And it hadn't even been that bad! It was just the other's reaction, the melancholy expression . . . Bakura wasn't sure what was so different, but he didn't like it.

The doorbell sounded for the third time that day, and Ryou shifted, glancing down at his watch. "That must be your pizza. I should probably get going. I think I've been here long enough."

"No." Bakura found himself saying, again without thinking. He recognized this feeling, had only felt it once before in the company of a different person, back in second grade when he was anxious about being the new kid. He remembered finding Yugi odd for just showing up and talking to him, asking questions as if they'd known each other for years before that day. He had wanted to know Yugi then and was curious about Ryou now, about his sister, father, and the circumstances under which he became friends with Atem, which was obviously a touchy subject. This conversation, this first meeting with Ryou, felt akin to that first day with Yugi. It was different, somehow, but Bakura would deal with that later. "I mean, you don't _have _to, but at least finish the episode."

Ryou stayed perfectly still as Bakura got to his feet, observing the taller, bigger boy through narrowed brown eyes. "You sure you're not just keeping me around for my assets?"

Bakura had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. That was easier than he'd thought. "Eh, those are just an added bonus."

The rich kid grinned, settling back against the couch, comfortable in a way he hadn't looked before. "Well, as long as we're on the same page."

Given the opportunity, Bakura suspected Ryou could be just as cheeky as Yugi, maybe even up on Malik's level, and that was an accomplishment in and of itself. Bakura wouldn't mind keeping this little rich boy around for a while longer and surely wasn't opposed to taking a ride in that Camry. Maybe Yugi did know what he was doing when he tried his hand at matchmaker. Now if the pipsqueak could just get a grip on his own personal dating life, everything would be just peachy.

As Bakura jogged back up the stairs on his way to answer the door, leaving Ryou quietly singing in Japanese under his breath, he thought back to their first encounter – not that an exceptionally large amount of time had passed since then – and couldn't help but think that looks really could be deceiving.

He had to remember to ask Yugi to get this kid's number for him.


	7. Light

_Author's Note: _Sequel to "Dark" obviously. I didn't want to leave that alone for some reason. I think there will be three parts to that specific universe, then after that I'm going to try some revolutionshipping, since someone mentioned it. I don't really ship it a whole lot, so that's why I mostly stayed away from the pairing. I may not be able to do it justice, but I'm going to try. Already have an idea in mind. Hopefully it doesn't suck!

* * *

**007 - Light **

* * *

It was one of those nights; the kind when the darkness seems especially oppressing and the clouds conceal the moon from view, making Yami feel as if the entire universe was plotting against him in one way or another.

The twenty-one-year-old breathed heavily through his nose, reaching over to change the radio station briefly as an obnoxious pop song began to blast through the speakers. Normally he wouldn't mind, but this was no ordinary night, and the beat didn't suit his mood very well.

Having just recently escaped from a gathering at a local bar for his twenty-first birthday, Yami wasn't in the best of sorts. The party had been enjoyable despite the setting, and the man had been plenty amused when Jou and Honda – a friend Yami had met at work – had one too many shots and proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" at the top of their lungs while encouraging the other patrons to do the same. Seto had looked on at Yami's side with a bored expression on his face, though Yami knew the CEO was rather fond of Jou's antics, no matter the setting.

As the night wore on, however, Yami excused himself and managed to slip away without his drunken friends noticing, telling Seto to make sure Jou didn't try to drive himself back to the apartment before taking off, a certain destination in mind.

Yami didn't really know what his problem was. Jounouchi was more excited about him turning the legal drinking age than Yami himself, even though he had been drinking alcohol since he was fourteen – all of them had, save Yugi. The man had been somewhat looking forward to it a few weeks ago, when Jounouchi and Honda had pitched the idea, though after his first shot of tequila after years without, Yami realized what had once been a sure-fire way to forget about his troubles had ceased to be effective. Jou hadn't come to that conclusion, however, and Yami respectfully kept his distance when Jou came home blasted and allowed Seto to deal with his boyfriend on his own.

Unlike his best friend, Yami didn't feel the need to try and forget about the life he had once lived anymore. The memories served as a means to keep him grounded, reminded him that he was a human, and a flawed one at that, when he was being especially hard on himself for one mistake or another. And Yugi was in the past. That was something he refused to let go of.

Jounouchi had once tried to tell him that after almost four years, the odds of Yugi returning were slim to none. Seto said it was a waste of gas to drive to and from the metro every night. Honda vaguely understood the situation and only said that it would probably be better for Yami's health if he moved on. Despite his anger and frustration, Yami couldn't blame them for feeling they way they did and saying the things they had. He understood that they were only worried – Seto especially, who saw him as a close friend and cared under the pretense of being an ass – and frankly, he was a bit worried himself.

He had gone on for years believing that Yugi was out there somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to come back, but as the years wore on and Yami grew, he was beginning to realize that there was a chance Yugi was actually gone from his life for good. Maybe Jou was onto something and it would be easier to forget, for sometimes Yami struggled to keep his composure when thinking of the possibilities. Maybe it would be for the best if he stopped returning to the metro every night at midnight and actually went to bed at a respectable hour.

Perhaps someday, but not today.

Yami slowed to a stop at a red light, tapping on the steering wheel in agitation and increasingly glad he had managed to stay sober when he noticed all the cop cars milling about. The police had stepped up a lot in the past couple years, patrolling more at night to pick up men and women alike soliciting prostitutes, and while Yami was pleased with this development, he was a little bitter that this couldn't have happened sooner. But if there had been this kind of security around when they were kids, it would have been harder to make enough money to feed themselves.

Yami huffed as the light changed. He was way too exhausted for this shit.

Pulling up at his usual spot beside the curb, Yami killed the engine but didn't remove his car key, sitting quietly in his seat for a moment to collect his thoughts. It was getting more and more difficult to keep doing this, return to the place that reminded him of his lost companion only to end up disappointed at the end of the night. He'd taken to telling himself Yugi wouldn't be there in case the opposite came to be, leaving Yami pleasantly surprised, but it was getting harder to lie, even to himself, and Yami had been a skilled fibber back in the day. So much had changed. Would Yugi even recognize them if he did come back someday?

Exiting the vehicle took more energy than Yami wanted to exert, and even as a chilling breeze bore down on him from the west, he decided to forgo his jacket, which he had carelessly thrown into the back seat in his haste to leave the bar earlier. He didn't plan on staying very long anyway. Yami stifled a yawn as he walked around his car and up towards the sidewalk, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth and blinking furiously a few times.

It sucked that even though tomorrow was Saturday, he and Honda were still expected to show up for work. Honda was more inconvenienced though; he was probably going to show up at the convenient store they worked at with red eyes and a killer hangover while Yami looked on with a smirk on his face, a year older and feeling good enough to appreciate it.

Yami didn't really care that he was twenty-one and working at a convenient store. With Seto's help, Yami and Jou had managed to complete their high school courses without actually having gone to a school itself and had essentially graduated a few months back, without all the hoopla of a ceremony, although Yami knew Seto congratulated Jounouchi accordingly after the sun went down.

Yami hadn't slept much that night.

Seto was still trying to convince them to at least try college, and while Jou was contemplating the idea, Yami was completely turned off by it. School had never really been his thing, even when he was a kid and simplifying fractions was considered hard arithmetic, and if Seto was going to pay for everything they needed anyway, then why even bother? Yami had never really felt like a freeloader, even though he knew that was somewhat the case here. Seto was a friend, he was offering, and Yami and Jou were accepting. Their situation wasn't exactly normal either.

Even after nearly four years, Jou and Yami still weren't comfortable living in everyday society. After depending on only each other for years, it was difficult letting others in. After Yugi disappeared and Mai left, Seto had been the first, then Honda, but that was about it. Jou and Yami still lived in their own little bubble, as Seto so often said in the midst of arguments with Jou, and they were hurting themselves and their futures. Yami didn't see anything wrong with being a loner, but he had also spent the better part of his life selling himself out on the streets. What did he know anyway? Society had moved on without them and Yami was still stuck in the nineties. Things were different, communities stuck together, but Yami couldn't forget the isolation he had endured during his youth.

Trusting humanity had never gotten him anywhere, and he wasn't about to start now.

Looking up from the cracked pavement riddled with cigarette buds and broken glass, Yami decided to just glance at the bench before turning to go back to his car, suddenly riddled with fatigue and only wanting to crawl into bed, but then he started, jolting to a stop right at an entrance to an alleyway.

In all the years since Yugi's disappearance, in all the years Yami had spent visiting this metro station, there had never once been a single soul around at this time of night. This time, however, was different. A figure was sitting on the bench where Yami used to wait when he was a teenager as he anticipated Yugi's return at the end of the night, dressed in a black hoodie with the sleeves rolled up – exposing scar-riddled forearms – jeans, and a pair of blue sneakers.

Yami watched, transfixed, as the stranger took a long drag from a cigarette and slumped in their seat, tilting their head back over the edge of the bench slightly. Yami hated the smell of smoke; it reminded him of those nights in isolated motel rooms with cheap booze and cigarette smoke, dim lighting and animalistic grunts that Yami would pray and plead to a god that he didn't believe in when he heard them just to make them stop. But somehow, even as the wind blew the smoke in his direction, Yami couldn't bring himself to move.

He didn't dare to hope and yet . . . all the evidence he needed was sitting only a few feet in front of him. There was no mistaking the hair, the body structure, and as Yami looked closer, he noticed that the figure's right leg was jiggling erratically, the hand holding the cigarette shaking only slightly. They were nervous. Why? Had they thought Yami wouldn't come? How had they known that, even after four years, Yami still showed up just in case something . . . just in case _this _happened? Why the cigarette, why the scars, why the _absence? _Yami was overwhelmed. He couldn't really think, just knew somehow that he had to move before this person, mirage, _whatever _disappeared again.

Taking a cautious step forward, Yami winced when he heard the sound of glass crunching underneath his boot, though he hadn't expected the person sitting on the bench a few feet away to hear it as well. Even at this time of night, the city was never quiet. The shaking stopped, the posture stiffened, and for a moment, both Yami and the person – Yami couldn't really place a name to the figure, not yet, not until he saw the eyes – froze, and all Yami could hear for a long while was the sound of his own breathing. Everything else just faded, didn't matter, and Yami found himself praying again, though he didn't know why or to who, just knew that he needed help if this all turned out to be a dream.

Then, slowly, the person sitting in Yami's old spot turned his – _pronouns, this is good _– head, and Yami released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and began walking again.

It was most definitely one of those nights.


End file.
